Job 15:14
New International Version
“What are mortals, that they could be pure, or those born of woman, that they could be righteous?

New Living Translation
Can any mortal be pure? Can anyone born of a woman be just?

English Standard Version
What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous?

Berean Standard Bible
What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?

King James Bible
What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

New King James Version
“What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?

New American Standard Bible
“What is man, that he would be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he would be righteous?

NASB 1995
“What is man, that he should be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

NASB 1977
“What is man, that he should be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Legacy Standard Bible
What is man, that he should be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Amplified Bible
“What is man, that he should be pure and clean, Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous and just?

Christian Standard Bible
What is a mere human, that he should be pure, or one born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?

American Standard Version
What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Contemporary English Version
No human is pure and innocent,

English Revised Version
What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Why should a mortal be considered faultless or someone born of a woman be considered righteous?

Good News Translation
Can any human being be really pure? Can anyone be right with God?

International Standard Version
"What is mankind, that he can be blameless? Or does being born of a woman mean he'll be in the right?

Majority Standard Bible
What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?

NET Bible
What is man that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?

New Heart English Bible
What is man, that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Webster's Bible Translation
What is man, that he should be clean? and he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

World English Bible
What is man, that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
What [is] man that he is pure, "" And that he is righteous, one born of woman?

Young's Literal Translation
What is man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?

Smith's Literal Translation
What is man that he will be clean? and that he will be just, being born of woman?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
What is man that he should be without spot, and he that is born of a woman that he should appear just?

Catholic Public Domain Version
What is man that he should be immaculate, and that he should appear just, having been born of woman?

New American Bible
How can any mortal be blameless, anyone born of woman be righteous?

New Revised Standard Version
What are mortals, that they can be clean? Or those born of woman, that they can be righteous?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
What is man, that he should be innocent? Or he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Who is the man who is innocent, or who born of woman is going to be justified?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For who, being a mortal, is such that he shall be blameless? or, who that is born of a woman, that he should be just?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Eliphaz: Job Does Not Fear God
13as you turn your spirit against God and pour such words from your mouth? 14What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous? 15If God puts no trust in His holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in His eyes,…

Cross References
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Psalm 51:5
Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

Ecclesiastes 7:20
Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

1 John 1:8
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.

Psalm 14:3
All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Isaiah 64:6
Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Genesis 6:5
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.

Romans 3:10-12
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. / There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. / All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Proverbs 20:9
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”?

1 Kings 8:46
When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to his own land, whether far or near,

2 Chronicles 6:36
When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to a land far or near,

Mark 10:18
“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.

Matthew 19:17
“Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”


Treasury of Scripture

What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

is man

Job 9:2
I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?

Job 14:4
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

Job 25:4-6
How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? …

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Job 15
1. Eliphaz reproves Job for impiety in justifying himself
17. He proves by tradition the restlessness of wicked men














What is man
The Hebrew word for "man" here is "אֱנוֹשׁ" (enosh), which often emphasizes the frailty and mortality of humanity. This term is used to remind us of the inherent limitations and weaknesses of human beings. In the context of Job, it underscores the vast difference between God's holiness and human imperfection. The rhetorical question invites reflection on the nature of humanity, emphasizing that humans, in their fallen state, cannot achieve purity on their own.

that he should be pure
The word "pure" in Hebrew is "זַךְ" (zak), which means clean or innocent. In the biblical context, purity often refers to moral and spiritual cleanliness. This phrase challenges the notion that humans can attain purity through their own efforts. It points to the need for divine intervention and grace, as true purity is a state that can only be achieved through a relationship with God. The rhetorical nature of the question suggests that human purity is unattainable without God's sanctifying work.

or one born of woman
This phrase emphasizes the natural human condition, highlighting the fact that all humans are born into a fallen world. The reference to being "born of woman" is a reminder of the original sin that affects all of humanity from birth. It underscores the idea that human nature is inherently flawed and in need of redemption. This phrase serves to remind readers of the universal need for a Savior, as all are born into sin and cannot achieve righteousness on their own.

that he should be righteous
The Hebrew word for "righteous" is "צַדִּיק" (tsaddiq), which denotes being just or morally upright. In the biblical narrative, righteousness is often associated with living in accordance with God's laws and commands. This phrase questions the possibility of human righteousness apart from divine assistance. It highlights the biblical truth that righteousness is not something humans can earn; rather, it is imputed by God through faith. This aligns with the conservative Christian perspective that emphasizes justification by faith and the transformative power of God's grace.

(14) What is man?--This is the ceaseless burden.�(See Job 4:17; Job 9:2; Job 25:4, &c.)

Verse 14. - What is man, that he should be clean? A vain "beating of the air." Eliphaz had asserted the same truth in his first speech, when he said, "Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his Maker? Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he taxeth with folly: how much less in them that dwell in houses of clay whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?" (Job 4:17-19); and Job had given his full assent to it, when he exclaimed, "I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God? If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand" (Job 9:2, 3). The true question was not whether Job or any other man was" clean," i.e. wholly sinless but whether Job had sinned so deeply and grievously that his sufferings were the natural and just punishment for his sins. And a mere repetition of the statement that all men were sinful and unclean was off the point - nihil ad rem-altogether futile and superfluous. And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? (setup. Job 25:4). The clause is a mere variant of the preceding one.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
What
מָֽה־ (māh-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

is man,
אֱנ֥וֹשׁ (’ĕ·nō·wōš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 582: Man, mankind

that
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

he should be pure,
יִזְכֶּ֑ה (yiz·keh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2135: To be translucent, to be innocent

or one born
יְל֣וּד (yə·lūḏ)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

of woman,
אִשָּֽׁה׃ (’iš·šāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

that
וְכִֽי־ (wə·ḵî-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

he should be righteous?
יִ֝צְדַּ֗ק (yiṣ·daq)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6663: To be just or righteous


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OT Poetry: Job 15:14 What is man that he should be (Jb)
Job 15:13
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